Breathing Life into the Bohr Effect
You've heard the song, "Every breath you take," right? Well, it turns out, The Police might have been onto something more profound than a classic hit.
When it comes to the nitty-gritty of our body's oxygen delivery system, every breath does indeed matter—thanks to a little thing called the Bohr effect. But before you think this is some high-falutin' science mumbo-jumbo, let me break it down for you, simple and sweet.
(I've already done a post about breathing, but I felt that I need to add another one explaining the Bohr effect in a little more depth)
The Bohr Effect: A Crash Course
Picture this: your body is a bustling city, and oxygen is the currency that keeps everything running smoothly.
Now, the Bohr effect is like the city's banking system, determining how oxygen (our precious currency) gets delivered to where it's needed most.
In scientific speak, the Bohr effect describes how changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and pH in our blood influence the release of oxygen from heamoglobin*.
*Heamoglobin are the red blood cells, oxygen binds to them as they pass through the lungs. The blood cells move to every tissue in our body, the oxygen gets bumped off, they return to the lungs for a new load.
Bohr is balance
Here's the kicker: without the Bohr effect, our body's oxygen distribution system would be like a bank that never opens. It hinges on a delicate balance—more CO2 in your blood (making the pH more acidic) signals your body to drop off more oxygen to your tissues. Less CO2 (more alkaline) the heamoglobin holds onto that oxygen tighter than a miser with a penny.
The Bohr Effect states that in the presence of carbon dioxide, the oxygen affinity for haemoglobin decreases.
An increase in blood CO2 level (and therefore a decrease in blood pH) causes haemoglobin to bind to oxygen with less affinity. Less love. Less hope and want. CO2 is kind of like a mood killer for haemoglobin and oxygens love affair (here I go again, mixing up metaphors).
This effect facilitates oxygen transport very well. In the lungs the fresh Oxygen coming in binds to the red blood cell. But when it enters the tissues it gets bumped off, because of the carbon dioxide.
Even more amazing is the oxygen gets to the tissues that need it most because when a tissue's metabolic rate increases, its CO2 production increases, meaning......CO2 bumps the oxygen off.
But what is the Bohr effect!?
So, at the level of the tissues (lets say muscles) this happens...
Carbon dioxide diffuses across the cell membrane into the blood vessels. The increase in CO2 saturation of the blood acts as a vasodilator (opens the blood vessels), ensuring the free flow of oxygenated blood to the oxygen-hungry tissues.
The increase of carbon dioxide levels in the blood help the release of oxygen from haemoglobin. Oxygen is now in the tissues.
This is known as the Bohr Effect.
(I tried to find a picture helping to explain this, but I couldn't find anything. I then tried to ask AI to do one for me but it produced some nightmarish images. Continuing my image search I found this one, which seems rather nightmarish, like something from Ren and Stimpy. But I think it gets the point across well enough.)
Breathing: The Unsung Hero
This is where breathing earns its superhero cape. Through the simple act of breathing, we regulate our CO2 levels.
If we breathe too fast, too shallow, if we use only our mouth to breathe, if we use our upper chest to breathe...we're dumping too much CO2.
This is when the dizziness starts. The headaches. The tightness in our muscles. Anxiety sets in...more and more bad things happen.
Conversely, too much deep breathing, too many long forced out breaths, can have an undesired effect, as well. Because...you guessed it! You're breathing off too much CO2 when you do exaggerated breaths.
What a drag!
Deep breathing and meditative practices have their place, a few slow exhaling breaths can calm us right down, but it shouldn't be how we breathe constantly.
Practical Magic: Harnessing the Bohr Effect
So, what can you do to make the Bohr effect work in your favour?
Here's the secret sauce:
breathe in and out through your nose, always.*
Nose breathing helps regulate CO2 levels more effectively than mouth breathing, because you're warming up the air and accessing your diaphragm.
Feel the breath centre just behind your belly button, like there's a little balloon there getting filled up just enough, only to recoil and let the air fall out.
Incorporate some mindfulness into your breathing—pay attention to the rhythm, feel your diaphragm expand and contract (that balloon thingy). Pay attention to catch up breaths you might be doing, those little sighs, those lifts of the shoulders.
Is your diaphragm the first to activate, or do you squeeze out the muscles of your neck, shoulders and chest to expand those ribs.
If you do the latter, you might notice how shallow and tiring that breath is. You will notice the air doesn't feel like it gets deep into your lungs.
When you notice peculiar, awkward patterns, re-centre:
In and out through the nose, into the balloon behind the belly button, let it fall in....fall out.
This isn't just woo-woo talk; it's science-backed, practical advice for optimising your body's oxygen delivery service!
*Yeah, of course this might not always be possible. You might have injuries, a cold, be stuck face down in a massage table and gravities pooling stuff, you might be snoring (on that note, imagine snoring all night long, mouth breathing, pushing out too much CO2, imagine what that's doing to you?
The Takeaway
Understanding the Bohr effect demystifies why breathing correctly is so darn important. It's not just about filling your lungs with air; it's about ensuring your body's tissues get the oxygen they crave.
So the next time you take a breath remember: "every breath you take, should be in and out through your nose".......
....these cover lyrics don't really work with the song, do they?
Well, in any case, I hope this has been informative and may shed some insight into one of the most crucial things we do every second of the day!